Clutch and actuating means therefor.



0. SMITH.

CLUTCH AND AOTUATING MEANS THEREFOR,

APPLICATION FILED DEC- I4, 1911. I

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

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add QQ/ 0. SMITH. I CLUTCH AND ACTUATING MEANS THEREFOR.

. APPLICATION FILED DEC-1M I911. 1 198M75 PatentedSept. 12, 1916.

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A MW 0. SMITH. CLUTCH AND AC TUAIING MEANS JIHEREFOR. APPLICATION FILED0:0. 14. 191' 1.

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Patented Sept. 12,1916.

0. SMITH.

CLUTCH AND ACTUATING MEANS THEREFOR.

APPLICATION HLED DEC I4, I91].

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

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OBERLIN SMITH, OFBBIDGETON, NEW JERSEY.

CLUTCH AND ACTUA'IING MEANS THEREFOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 14-, 1911. Serial No. 665,799.

To all whom z't-may concern:

and in the State of New Jersey, have in vented a certain new and usefulImpro'v e ment in Clutches and Actuating Means Therefor, and do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof.

Among other objects-1E have had in view inthe production of thisinvention are the following: first, such a construction of the clutch aswill make it so self-contained as to enable it to be manufacturedwithout special reference to any particular position it is to occupy, sothat it may be readily applied to a power press, or any other machinerequiring a clutch as a part of its organization, and in any position onthe machine which may be required in view of the location of the shaftwhose revolution is to be controlled by the clutch; and, second,simplification of the structure and increase of its efliciency and thefacility of operating the clutch, and with these and other objectshereinafter set forth, in view, my invention consists in the mechanismconstructed substantially as hereinafter specified and claimed.

Referring to the drawingsFigure 1 is a front elevation of a clutchembodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an end-view of the same; Fig. 3 is alongitudinalsection; Fig. -l is a cross section on line H of Fig. 1;Fig. 5 is a detail view in perspective, of the operating mechanism. Fig.6 is a perspective view showing the clutch operating devices. Fig. 7 isa like view of the treadle lock. Fig. 8 is a detail view in perspectiveof parts of the treadle mechanism.

To illustrate an embodiment of my invention, I have selected an instanceof its application in which a constantly running band wheel 10 mm beclutched to a shaft 11 having a pinion 12 by which power is to betransmitted-to the desired machinery, the pinion being preferably,butnot neces sarily formed by gear teeth out in an' enlargement 0f theshaft. The clutch shaft 11 is journaled in two boxes carried by abracket, 13, that is provided with bolt holes for its attachment to thepress or machine frame; as all parts of the clutch mechanism are carriedby this bracket, the structure is thus a self-contained one, or a unit,and,

therefore, can be carried in stock for use on various machines withoutchange.

The wheel 10 is journaled on the shaft 11v so as to turn freely thereon,and as illustrated in Fig. 3, it has the internal circum- ,ference ofits rim coned to be engaged by the coned periphery of wooden frictionblocks, 14, secured to a spider 15 which has a hub by which 'the spideris mounted upon the-shaft 11, the spider/having, as is usual, an axialmovement to carry its blocks or shoes into and out of frictional contactwith the rim of the wheel 10. Pivoted to ears 16, on a collar, 17, whichis secured to the clutch shaft by screws, 18, are two bell-crank togglelevers, l9, one arm of each of which is con- Patented Sept. 12, 191W,

nected by links to the clutch spider and another arm of which isconnected by links, 21, to the end of a bar, 22, forming a tog gle beamthat passes diametrically through 1 coinciding slots in the clutch shaftand the spider hub.- Besides being the means to rock the toggle levers,as presently explained, the bar or beam 22, connects the spider andshaft so that they cannot inde pendently rotate. The bar or beam 22, isrestrained from endwise movement. as well as guided in its movementaxially of the clutch shaft, by pins or projections, 23, that bear upondiametrically opposite flat sur-' faces on the shaft. When the togglebeam or bar, 22, is moved to rock the toggle lovers to set the clutch,the beam and the opposite links connected therewith will be brought intoalinement, and thus the clutch be locked in its set position, and, ofcourse, the clutching pressure increases as said parts move intoalinement.

The bracket, 13, carries a brake member in the form of a brakespider,24, having like the fly-wheel 10, a conical surface for engagement bywooden blocks or shoes, 25, carried by the clutch spider on the sideopposite that having the clutch shoes so that alternately the clutch andbrakeare applied, to revolve and stop the clutch shaft, respectively.The brake spider is made separately from the bracket, 13, but itis'bolted thereto,

so as in effect to be apart thereof, and to .secure perfect alinementofthe brake spider,

its surface and the seat on the bracket engaged by it, are cylindricallycurved on an arms concentric wlth the clutch shaft axls.

. The clutch shaft is bored axially fromso I beyond the toggle beam orbar, 22, and passing through the channel, thus formed, is a rod 26,which at its inner end is attached to said beam, and is the means bywhich motion is imparted to said beam to actuate the clutch spider. Atits outer end the rod, 26, has a collar, 27, which is engaged by one endof a lever, 28, pivoted to an arm on the brake spider, while at itsother end it has a ball and socket connectionwith one end of a rod, 29,whose other end is connected to one arm of a lever, 30, pivotally andslidably mounted on a vertical stud or post, 31, on the bracket, '13.The other arm of the lever, 30, is connected by a kind of universaljoint to a clutch actuating lei er 32, which is pivotally hung on theclutch shaft so that when swung in opposite directions, it will mox ethe clutch spider to set the clutch and applythe brake, respectiv'ely,and it is because of the swinging of the lever 32, that it-is necessaryto have its rocking lever 30 mounted to slide slightly upon the verticalstud.

Attached to the clutch actuating lever, is a handle rod or bar 33, by.which the clutch actuating lever may be rocked. It may also be caused toswing in the direction to set the clutch by a treadle, and in thedirection to unclutch and apply the brake, by automatic means. Thetreadle comprises two pedals or foot members 34 fiXed to a'rock shaft35, which atone end has a crank arm 36 that constitutes a latch adapted,by the rocking of the shaft, to swing into and out of position beneaththe lower end of a vertically extending rod 37 which at its upper end ispivotally connected to the clutch actuatinglever and at its lowerportion passes through a pair of guide lugs, 38, mounted on the frameleg. As shown in Fig. 6, the latch has been swung from beneath the lowerend of the treadle rod and the latter has dropped, so that its lowerportion lies alongside and in rear of the latch. The treadle is weightedas by a heavy block 340, or spring-actuated so that the latch tends toswing to a position beneath the lower end of the rod 37, as shownin'Fig. 8, when the latter is raised and the parts are in unclutchingand breaking position, and the clutch, therefore, may be locked inunclutched position automatically. The treadle shaft 35' presses looselythrough an opening'in the lower end of the member which carries theguide lugs 38. The arm, 40, at the back of the clutch lever, rojectsupwardly in the path of the roller 41, at the outer end of a roller-armcarried by the gear wheel 42 of the press, so that by the contact ofsaid roller, the clutch lever will be automatically swung to release theclutch, and'lift the rod, 37, into position for the automatic engagementof the latch therewith. With this arrangement, the

clutch remains set through one revolution of the press. The gear wheel42 transmits motion to the pinion 12 through a pinion 420 with which thegear 42 meshes and a gear 421 connected with the pinion 420, and whichmeshes with the pinion 12.

Applied to the rod 37, is a stop collar, 43,

preferably of rubber, which when the rod falls upon the disengagement ofthe latch therewith, strikes an adjustable nut mounted on the upperrod-guiding lug, and, thus, the degree of movement of the clutch spiderand the pressure of the friction shoes upon the fly wheel 10, aredetermined. To supplement the weight of the rod and the other parts tocause the gripping of the clutch, an adjustable and removable weight 44,is applied to the clutch-lever 32, or in place of a weight, anadjustable spring may be used.

The weight 44 may be adjusted forward, orto ward the handle 33 so as tocause the lever '32 to normally tend to swing downward at the frontwhere the handle 33 is attached to it, so that when the treadle 34 a isrocked to swing the latch 36 from beneath the lower end of the rod 37,the lever 32'will swing downward with the rod 37, and thereby theclutching operation performed. Unclutching will automatically take placeat each revolution of the press shaft by the engagement of theroller-arm 41 with the lever 40, which acts to swing the latter in thedirection to rock the clutch actuating level-'32 in the reversedirection to that in which it is moved by gravity when the treadlereleases the rod 37. For this automatic unclutching it is necessary thatthe latch 36 be restrained from falling beneath the lower end of rod 37,and it is so restrained by means of the engagement of the pawl 47 of dog46 with the head of bolt 460, which prevents the rocking of the treadleshaft 35 by the action of the weight 340. Both clutching and unclutchingmovements may be performed by hand, by use of the handle 33, in whichcase the treadle is locked by placing the dog 46 in the condition shownin Fig. 7 where it is locked by a cotter pin so that if it be attemptedto rock the treadle downward, said dog 46 engaging the top of a stopbolt 460 will prevent such movement, and thus prevent thelatch 36 beingthrown beneath the rod 37. To prevent automatic unclutching by theaction of the roller arm 41 on the lever 40, said roller arm may beattached to the gear wheel 42 so that it may be shifted out of positionto strike the lever 40 as the gear revolves. means of the hand lever 33is to be done, the weight 44 may be shifted so as to cause the balancingof the lever 32 and its at tached' parts.

It will be seen that the dog 46 may serve \Vhen. hand operation by bothas a stop against depression of the treadle by foot and as a lockagainst its lifting by the action of the weight 340. When positioned toact as a stop, it prevents the accidental or. mischievous starting ofthe machine. To permit the pawl 47 to act, the cotter pin is removed.

It will be seen that the complete organization, including the clutch andthe brake (with the exception of simple treadle connections) is mountedupon the bracket 13, so that all that is necessary for the equipment ofapress or other machine with its power-controlling mechanism, is tosecure the bracket tothe machine framework in the position required forthe delivery of power from the shaft 11 to the main shaft of themachine, duly connecting it with a treadle if desired.

Since it cannot be known in advance precisely what will be the positionof the clutch on a given machine, so that, for example, in a press inwhich the movements of the parts for producing clutching and unclutchingoperation are to be automatically performed, it will be necessary toadapt the length and the angular position of the rod 37, to theparticular case in hand, but this, of course, is a simple matterofmerely lengthening or shortening the rod, etc.

By my invention the structure is so selfcontained that withoutalteration the clutch will operate when applied to the machine eitherside up, or will run in either direction, the latter being importantbecause of its adaptability to either single or doublegeared presses orother machines.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is l. The combination ofa bracket, a shaft supported by the bracket, a wheel loose on the shaft,a clutch member connected with the wheel, a clutch member connected withthe shaft, a rod slidably mounted in the shaft, connections between saidrod and said clutch member, a clutch actuating lever hung on the shafton which it swings, and connections between said lever and said rodmounted on said bracket.

2. The combination of a bracket, a shaft supported by the bracket, awheel loose on the shaft, a clutch member connected with the wheel, aclutch member connected with the shaft, a rod slidably mounted in theshaft, connections between said rod and said clutch member, a clutchactuating lever hung on the shaft, and connections between said leverand said rod mounted on said bracket, comprising a pivotally andslidably mounted lever, engaging said clutch lever, a rod connected tosaid pivotally and slidably mounted lever, and a lever connected withboth rods.

3. The combination of clutch mechanism and operating means thereforcomprising automatic and hand operated means and a longitudinallymovable rod, a latch-movable into and out of position to engage saidrod, and acting to prevent movement of the rod when in engagementtherewith, a treadle, a connection between the latch and the treadle andsettable means to prevent movement of the latch to rod-engagingposition.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand.

OBERLIN SMITH.

Witnesses:

NORA F. DUFFIELD, HUGH L. Rnnvns.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G.

